The Dordt University women's track and field team began its outdoor season at the two-day Wildcat Classic, hosted by Wayne State (Neb.). The Defenders qualified three entries for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, won three events and established one school record over the two-day meet.

Notes:

• the Defenders recorded 11 top 10 performances in field events, led by throwers Makenna Walhof and Fran Travis who both hit qualifying marks
• Walhof qualified for nationals in two events, hammer and discus, and is ranked in the top five in the NAIA based on the latest performance list
  • on Friday, Walhof placed third in the hammer with a school-record toss of 55.35m which is the top mark in the NAIA
    • Walhof surpassed the old record (169'09") held by Jenna Gleason in 2024
  • Walhof came back on Saturday and hit the provisional mark in the discus
    • Walhof, an All-American in the event last year, placed second with a toss of 47.68m, fourth best in the NAIA and No.1 in the GPAC
• Travis recorded a team-best, three top 10 finishes (individual events)
  • the sophomore placed ninth in the hammer on Friday with a personal-best mark of 48.00m
  • on Saturday morning, Travis finished seventh in the shot put (12.56m)
  • Travis concluded her outstanding weekend with a fourth place finish in the discus where she hit the provisional mark with a toss of 46.82m
  • she is ranked seventh in the NAIA
• two Defenders, Ada Smies and Claudia Heethuis, placed in the top 10 in the high jump
  • Smies placed third, clearing 1.59m, while Heethuis, competing in the first outdoor meet of her career, finished ninth and cleared 1.49m
• Karly Champness continued her outstanding season in the pole vault with a fourth place finish (2.63m)
• Tatum Graden (4th) and Jenna Balt (8th) gave the Defenders a pair of top 10 showings in the long jump
• the Defenders won two individual running events and one relay
• Shelby Buwalda was part of two, winning Dordt entries, taking first in the 400m with a time of 58.38
• Buwalda then anchored the Defenders winning 4x400 relay in the final event of the day
  • Ayda Den Herder, Kaitlyn Wercinski, Arielle DeYoung and Buwalda posted a time of 3:57
• Addy Liston led from start to finish in winning the the 800m title
  • Liston, running in the strong wind, posted an impressive time of 2:20
• Kailee Altena posted a pair of top 10 finishes in the sprints
  • both Altena (5th) and Anna Heynen (7th) finished in the top 10 in the 100m
  • Altena came back to place eighth in the 200m (25.44)
• the Defenders had a strong showing in the 1500m with four in the top eight
  • Jeni Burtis led the group with a fourth place finish (5:00)
  • Addy Crow was fourth, followed by Macy Marshall (7th) and Raegan Snieder (8th)
• Dordt also had four runners place in the top 10 in the 5000m, led by Jessica Opfer (2nd)
  • Sophie Memmelaar (8th), Jada Abrahamson (9th) and Abigail Ruse (10th) also placed in the top 10
• Kaitlyn Wercinski led a group of three Defenders who placed among the top 10 in the 400m hurdles
  • Wercinski was third, followed by Whitney Minderhoud (7th) and Jenny Lumkes (10th)

National Qualifiers (3):

• Makenna Walhof - Hammer
• Makenna Walhof - Discus
• Fran Travis - Discus

Defender Winners (3):

• Shelby Buwalda - 400m
• Addy Liston - 800m
• 4x400 Relay (Den Herder, Wercinski, DeYoung, Buwalda)

School Record (1):

• Makenna Walhof - Hammer

All-Time Top 10's (3):

• Anna Heynen - 100m (T4th)
• Makenna Walhof - Hammer (1st)
• Fran Travis - Hammer (4th)

Outdoor Personal Bests (13):

• Anna Heynen  - 100m
• Allie Houser - 100m
• Miella Struble - 100m
• Ava Ingwersen - 100m
• Faith Minderhoud - 100m Hurdles
• Shelby Buwalda - 200m
• Allie Houser - 200m
• Miella Struble - 200m
• Makenna Walhof - Hammer
• Fran Travis - Hammer
• Ava Ingwersen - Javelin
• Jenna Balt - Long Jump
• Jenny Lumkes - Long Jump

Top 10 Finishes (35): 

• 100m:
  • Anna Heynen - 5th: 12.28
  • Kailee Altena - 7th: 12.45
• 200m:
  • Kailee Altena - 8th: 25.44
• 400m:
  • Shelby Buwalda - 1st: 58.38
  • Arielle DeYoung - 6th: 1:02
  • Kayla Van Otterloo - 8th: 1:04
  • Emily Noteboom - 9th: 1:04.4
  • Ashlynn Davis - 10th: 1:05.38
• 400m Hurdles:
  • Kaitlyn Wercinski - 3rd: 1:05
  • Faith Minderhoud - 7th: 1:11
  • Jenny Lumkes - 10th: 1:12
• 800m:
  • Addy Liston - 1st: 2:20
  • Kyrin De Groot - 9th: 2:31
• 1500m:
  • Jeni Burtis - 3rd: 5:00
  • Addy Crow - 4th: 5:01
  • Macy Marshall - 7th: 5:03
  • Raegan Snieder - 8th: 5:05
• 5000m:
  • Jessica Opfer - 2nd: 19:06
  • Sophie Memmelaar - 8th: 21:14
  • Jada Abrahamson - 9th: 22:34
  • Abigail Ruse - 10th: 26:34
• Discus:
  • Makenna Walhof - 2nd: 47.68m / 156-05
  • Fran Travis - 4th: 46.82m / 153-07
• Hammer:
  • Makenna Walhof - 3rd: 55.35m / 181-07
  • Fran Travis - 9th: 48.00m / 157-05
• High Jump:
  • Ada Smies - 3rd: 1.59m / 5-02.5
  • Claudia Heethuis - 9th: 1.49m / 4-10.5
• Javelin:
  • Ava Ingwersen - 10th: 30.79m / 101-00
• Long Jump:
  • Taydem Graden - 4th: 5.31m / 17-05.25
  • Jenna Balt - 8th: 5.12m / 16-09.75
• Pole Vault:
  • Karly Champness - 4th: 2.63m / 8-07.5
• Shot Put:
  • Fran Travis - 7th: 12.56m / 41-02.5
• 4x100 Relay - 5th: 50.95 (Houser, Balt, Grau, Vander Kooy)
  • 6th: 54.25 (Struble, DeBoer, Ingwersen, Vander Leest)
• 4x400 Relay - 1st: 3:57.54 (Den Herder, Wercinski, DeYoung, Buwalda)
  • 4th: 4:10 (Davis, Buwalda, Champness, Minderhoud)
  • 6th: 4:13 ()